Carmustine, Vincristine, and Prednisone in the Treatment of Canine Lymphosarcoma

Abstract

A chemotherapeutic protocol using carmustine in combination with vincristine and prednisone was tested in dogs with multicentric malignant lymphosarcoma. Of seven dogs treated, six (85.7%) achieved complete remission. A partial response occurred in one dog. Median survival time was 224 days (mean 386 days), and median duration of remission was 183 days (mean 323 days). Marked neutropenia was observed following carmustine administration. There were no significant alterations in platelets and red blood cell counts during treatment, and no abnormalities attributable to the chemotherapy were found in serum biochemical profiles. Results of this study showed that carmustine is an effective alternative option in the treatment of canine lymphosarcoma.

Serum amyloid A is not a marker for relapse of multicentric lymphoma in dogs

“…Tumor size was defined as the mean of measures obtained for each peripheral lymph node: 2 submandibular, 2 prescapular, 2 axillary, 2 inguinal, and 2 popliteal. Overall response was categorized at week 5 (for both chemotherapy groups) as complete remission (ie, no increase in lymph node size or clinical signs), partial remission (ie, ≥50% decrease in lymph node size), or no response (ie, <50% reduction in lymph node size) 16 …”

Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of Nimustine in Tumor-Bearing Dogs

“…Nitrosourea (3-[(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl) methyl]-1-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea hydrochloride, ACNU) compounds, such as lomustine (1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea, CCNU) and carmustine (1,3-bis (2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, BCNU), have been reported to possess a high antitumor activity in dogs with a variety of tumors [4, 6, 7, 9, 10]. ACNU was developed as a nitrosourea-derived anticancer agent for humans in Japan and has been reported to have an equivalent or higher cytotoxic activity than CCNU against the murine lymphoid leukemia cell line L-1210 [5].…”

“…There are several reports in the literature on the optimal dose regimen and possible side effects of these drugs [4, 6, 7, 9, 10]. In tumor-bearing dogs orally treated with CCNU at 90 mg/m 2 , neutropenia was the acute dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) observed at approximately 7 days after treatment.…”

“…At a higher dose or after multiple administrations of the drug, gastrointestinal toxicity, cumulative and irreversible chronic hepatotoxicity, and rare renal toxicity were also documented in preclinical trials of CCNU [2,3,4, 6]. Bone marrow toxicity, such as neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, and vascular pain during BCNU treatment were reported in lymphoma-bearing dogs receiving BCNU treatment [7]. Although the nitrosourea drugs, CCNU and BCNU, are not currently commercially available in Japan, ACNU and MCNU (ranimustine) are available for use, and several institutions, including our group, have used ACNU for the treatment of malignancies in dogs.…”

“…Additional studies with longer follow-up times and bone marrow and liver function monitoring are warranted to evaluate multiple ACNU courses. Vascular pain during BCNU infusion was reported to resolve by increasing the infusion time to approximately 60 min [7]. Of note, there were no signs to suggest vascular pain in the 8 dogs that received intravenous bolus ACNU injections.…”